By treading more lightly on the planet and using the full potential of each tree,
we can produce more with less – an approach that has obvious environmental
and economic benefits and that involves reducing our use of fossil energy
and the associated greenhouse gas emissions across the full life cycle of our
products. It also necessitates using less water and improving effluent quality,
enhancing our impact on biodiversity and implementing sustainable forestry
through internationally accredited, independent forest certification and
environmental management systems.
United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Principle 7:
Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
UNGC Principle 8:
Businesses should undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
UNGC Principle 9:
Businesses should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
As stated in our Group Sustainability
Charter and Group Environmental Policy, we
acknowledge that we do have an environmental
footprint, but are committed to managing
and mitigating the environmental, climate and
biodiversity impacts of our operations. The
precautionary approach places the onus on
Sappi to anticipate harm before it occurs and
to take active steps to prevent any harm from
occurring. We achieve this by:
Minimising the environmental impact of our
operations in terms of raw materials and
energy use
Developing new production methods and
products, and finding innovative ways of
beneficiating waste
Saving water and energy at every step in
production processes
Ongoing investment in research and
development
Monitoring environmental performance and
legal compliance at each mill, by constantly
assessing our performance in terms of
energy dashboards, integrated water and
waste management plans, air emissions and
effluent
Having environmental targets in place in
each region. Progress towards targets is
reported to management teams in each
region regularly, quarterly to the Global
Sustainable Development Council (GSDC)
and to the Social, Ethics, Transformation and
Sustainability (SETS) Committee three times
a year, and
Using internationally recognised, independently
verified certification systems including
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest
Certification (PEFC) and the Sustainable
Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), as well as ISO 9001,
ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and, in Europe the
Eco Management and Audit System (EMAS)
and ISO 50001 in Europe and South Africa.
Adopting environmentally friendly technologies
We view conducting our business in an
environmentally sustainable manner as integral
to our licence to operate on an individual,
community, country and global level. It also
makes sound business sense, given that we
depend on natural resources such as water and
woodfibre for our ongoing viability as a business
and it is in our interest to use these resources
as responsibly as possible. We invest in new
technology and upgrading mill processes as
these become feasible or pre-empting changes
in manufacturing regulations.
Unlocking the power of renewable resources
At the heart of our business is a renewable,
recyclable natural resource – woodfibre. We use
this to create pulp, paper and dissolving
wood pulp solutions that enhance the lives
of consumers around the world. We take a
holistic approach to protecting the environment,
beginning with the responsible procurement of
wood that is grown and harvested sustainably
and sourced only from well-managed forests and
plantations.
Tracking key metrics
We track key metrics for fibre, emissions,
energy use and the impact of our operations
on air, water and solid waste. We use this data
when setting improvement goals for either
our operations or interactions with our key
stakeholder groups–employees, customers and
our local communities. In 2015, we established 2020 global goals in addition to regional goals to
deal with specific issues. These goals have now
been closed out and we are moving forward with
our Thrive25 goals.
Promoting environmental responsibility
Land, air and water are shared resources. By
motivating and encouraging people – particularly
those close to our operations – to share our
commitment to a thriving world by treading
more lightly on the planet, our aim is to enhance
the sustainability of the natural resources and
ecosystems on which our business depends.
